Hourglass
by lostdreamer23
Summary: A warning in the past given to a young Snape plays out during Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts that creates a tear in the fabric of reality. Will they be able to overcome their personal differences to fix it? non-slash
1. In the Beginning

Disclaimer: The idea of Harry Potter is not mine, but of J.K. Rowling. Anybody who thinks otherwise must be seriously confounded.

Additional Note: This is a revision of the original chapter. I am currently re-doing chapters 1-7 that I currently have posted. 09/31/09

"_The Hidden Power of the Heart Each moment is a doorway to time travel. Being in this very moment and no other, time as we know it stops. You can Freeze-Frame and stop. Then you can make another choice. You can stay in the same holographic pattern or you can choose a different one." –Sara Paddison_

**Hourglass**

Chapter 1: In the Beginning

_Time is concrete and ever constant…that is what I used to say before everything went all to pot. As I sit here in my favorite lounge chair, I think back to the way things were and the way things have become within my lifetime. I've watched children be born and old friends pass away. I have seen the light in someone's eyes fade out as they realize that their dreams will never be realized. I have witnessed unrequited love ruin a man's life, turning their soul into something that he can't recognize. I've seen a madman who will stop at nothing to achieve his ambitions. That same madman destroyed thousands of lives with the simple flick of a wrist or with a harshly spoken command. I've seen old friends fall by the wayside, never to be heard from again. I've seen the world as I know it, come to an end, then restart again. _

_Now I realize that time is figurative, circular, forgiving, silent, and deadly. This is my story and this is what will be remembered, for generations to come after my inevitable death. _

_~Severus Snape_

_***_

The moon was shining brightly in the sky, a giant orb that highlighted the castle and the grounds in an eerie light. The grass that I was sitting on tickled my ankles around the hemline of my robe. I swatted, annoyed, at a mosquito that was buzzing near my ear. The Forbidden Forest, a place of mystery and unaccounted for horrors, stood foreboding to my right and I looked at it uneasily as I imagined dark beings lurking in the darkness beyond the first line of trees.

When I was a teenager, I ran into these woods for safety, sometimes to find privacy, but in other circumstances, to escape the four Gryffindor boys, the Marauders as they became known over the years, whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to torment me. I didn't know then that the danger was not with the reckless Gryffindors, but what lay within that darkness, amongst the rustling leaves and the cracking of branches that had fallen over the years.

I was twelve years old when an event that I had never been able to forget occurred when I was evading James Potter and his friends.

"Oh..Snivellus..we know you're in there." James Potter snidely called into the woods after me. I had stopped a few yards into the tree line to see if the boys would follow me. As I had assumed, they didn't move from the safety of the sunlight. "Come on Sevvy…we just want to have some fun. We'll leave you alone, we _promise._" He called again, in a falsely sweet tone of voice. I knew better than to believe and so I remained where I knelt, hunched down low, with tree branches scratching at my face. I knew if I stayed here that they would soon get bored and leave.

After many long minutes of me holding my body still despite my aching knees, the boys became bored of their silly game and ambled back towards the castle. I slowly rose and took a look around. It's not that I couldn't defend myself; indeed, I was very well trained in defensive as well as offensive measures. However, they were four and I was alone. I knew well enough that those odds were not adequate for me to defend properly as they had caught me unaware.

_I'll bloody get James Potter one of these days, whether it's the last thing I do._ I thought bitterly. As I turned to leave, I heard a loud snapping of branches behind me. On guard immediately, I raised my wand.

"Lumos" I said quietly and a small light appeared at the end of my wand, barely denting the darkness. I looked around me, not seeing anything, and uneasily began to ease my way back towards the light.

"Stop." A deep voice commanded from the trees nearby.

I froze and looked, alarmed, at the direction the voice emanated from in the darkness. I couldn't see anything except a slight shadow a few yards in front of me.

"Do not be alarmed. I am here to pass on a message, nothing more." The deep voice said.

"Who are you?" I asked tentatively, squinting to see whom I was speaking to.

"It does not matter. I am just he messenger." Silence followed for a few moments. I thought of running away, but my teenage curiosity got the better of me and I waited.

"There will come a time when you will find yourself in a situation that won't make much sense. Dark times will enshroud you and you will be a different person than who you are now. You hold within you the power to change all things and the power to destroy. You must choose carefully."

"What do you mean? When? How will I know?" I asked, confused.

"You will know when the time arrives." The voice answered simply.

I remained standing there, waiting for the voice to continue. I began to ask another question when the voice interrupted my thoughts.

"An accident will occur, one in which forces beyond your control will take hold of the very world around you. Your mission will be to make sure that the young ones around you remain safe and the One will not be forgotten." The voice said menacingly. "The fate of the world rests in your hands. Look for the sign." At that the figure who was speaking began to move away quickly.

"Wait!" I yelled moving towards the retreating figure. "I don't understand! What's the sign? Who or what is the One?"

The figure stopped for a moment and appeared to be considering my questions, but when he spoke it was only to say, "You will know the sign when you see it. Just remember this above all else, you can not fail."

With that, there was a whoosh of warm air and I felt a breeze pass over my body. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, the figure was gone and only the sound of the forest surrounded me.


	2. Echoes

Authors note: This story starts before Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts. It will be AU from that point on, but will utilize story aspects from the 6th and 7th books. Any questions, feel free to let me know. (I'm having a slight issue with fanfiction atm and just battled with it, hopefully successfully to get this chapter posted correctly)

"_In the dark depths of our dreams lies a reality. If we could only access these hidden recesses of our souls, we'd realize that they are who we are and who we may become if we don't listen." _

**Chapter 2: Echoes **

**Written by: lostdreamer23**

20 Years Later

Harry laid in bed for hours staring at the ceiling at the room in the Dursley's house. He spent most of his time staring at the ceiling anymore, or so it seemed. His room was a mess as in a fit the week before he had taken everything out of his trunk to find the broken piece of mirror that Sirius had given him the year before and hadn't bothered with putting everything back into his trunk. He knew it was just a piece of trash at this point, but it was the only reminder of the Godfather he never had the opportunity to really get to know. Sirius's death had hit him hard. He blamed himself for the gullibility he had displayed in falling prey to Voldemort's mind games. If it weren't for him being so stubborn and not listening to his friends, Sirius would be alive, his friends would not be injured, and he would not have to be sitting here in the house he detested more than any other place on earth. He would rather be stuck doing detentions in Snape's classroom than be stuck here, listening to his fat cousin whine about not getting a new TV after he got out of school this year. Never mind that he had practically failed and if it weren't for his father, Vernon, going in and giving them "hell" they probably would have failed him.

Harry flopped to his side, ignoring the stench that was coming out from under his bed where he had left a half-eaten cake Mrs. Weasley had sent him for his birthday a week ago. Harry looked forlornly at his trunk on the other side of the small room and thought about how much time had passed since he had left this house for his first year at Hogwarts. So much time had passed and so many things had happened, yet here he was, as always, stuck in the Dursley house. He understood, now, why he had to be here, but he wished there was another way to gain the protection of his mother's blood. He squinted to see the time on the clock on the wall and sighed loudly when he noticed it was 2am. He had to be up in four hours to do his "chores." Ever since the Dursley's had found out that his godfather was no longer a valid threat, they were back to treating him like he was a non-existent entity and when they did acknowledge him it was to yell at him or give him more chores to do. Not too mention that Dudley used every opportunity he could to torment him about his loud dreams that he'd been having when he _did_ fall asleep.

First there was the dreams about Sirius falling through the veil and these dreams he usually woke from chocking on a scream. Then there were still the dreams about Cedric, that had re-appeared this summer after a long hiatus. Perhaps it was the death of Sirius that caused these dreams to resurface. The third type of dream were hard to remember. These dreams always made him wake up, his throat raw from screaming. He couldn't remember these last dreams very well, but that was probably from the rude awakenings given him by his cousin Dudley, who would be sitting on his chest and stomach, spittle flying from his mouth, which distracted Harry from dwelling on them. Harry didn't know how much more he could take of these dreams. Maybe if he had been able to learn Occlumency like Dumbledore wanted, he wouldn't be having these problems, but he didn't learn it and because of this he would just have to deal with his problems on his own. He never shared with his friends in their frequent letters about his dreams as he didn't want them thinking he was weak and couldn't handle himself. He didn't want to be thought of as "fragile" or as some specimen that Hermione would try to pick apart.

Harry glanced at the clock once more and noticed that an hour had passed while he was dwelling on his dreams. After an exasperated sigh, he clenched his teeth and sat up looking towards the trunk and carefully wrapped his mirror piece back up and placed it into the trunk. He slammed the trunk with a resounding whomp, and instantly regretted it as he heard pounding footsteps in the hallway coming towards his room. He jumped back into his bed and pretended that he was asleep as his Uncle came barging into his room.

"Boy, how many times do I have to wake up to your incessant noise!? There are some of us around here that have a life and we need to sleep!" Vernon hissed at Harry, his eyes beady in his head and cheeks flushed with anger. Harry always thought he looked like a blown up bull-frog when he was angry, but that line of thought never helped him, so he squelched it as he watched his Uncle step closer to him. "Do you hear me, boy!?"

"Yes, sir." Harry replied, stepping back instinctively, hoping a short answer would make him go away. He had seen his Uncle's rages over the years and sometimes, the shorter the answer the quicker his Uncle would leave him alone.

"Good, and if I hear one more peep coming from this room, you'll regret it." With that final pronouncement Vernon glared at Harry more fiercely and stormed out of the room, the whole room shaking as he slammed the door behind him.

Okay, I really need to try to sleep, Harry thought as he laid on his bed and pulled the thin scratchy blanket over his head. Clear my head, clear my head, he repeated over and over, but as thoughts of Sirius and of Voldemort crept back into his head, Harry gave the idea of sleep up and pulled out some of his textbooks. At least if he had to stay up, he could at least do something without disturbing his "_family_."

As he read through his prior year's textbooks, his eyes slowly closed and he found himself in another one of his nightmares.

_It was dark and he couldn't see. All he could sense was the slight sounds of skittering rats nearby and of a soft crying in the distance. The room was cold that he was sitting in and he felt himself shiver. He felt on the floor around him, tentatively, reaching for something that he could place over his body that was uncovered except for a flimsy pair of shorts. His whole body ached and he tried to rack his brain as to where he was, what he was doing here. He thought processes felt as if a murky cloud had moved into the spot where his brain was located. He heard the soft sobbing that was coming from nearby and slowly and painfully worked his way over to the corner near the source of the sound. _

"_Hello?," he managed to croak out, his throat feeling like knives were being raked across it. The sobbing continued and he once again tried to speak, "hello, who's in here?"_

_The sobbing seemed to lessen and with a sudden shock he heard a female voice "Harry, is that you?"_

"_Hermione?" Harry asked slowly crawling towards the voice. The sobbing became more intense and finally Harry managed to get to where he could make out a very small, slender form curled into a corner. "Is that you Hermione?"_

"_yes..it's me." Hermione shakily said, stifling her sobs. "I just got here a few hours ago, I think." _

"_Where are we?" Harry asked quietly, reaching out his right hand to try and connect with Hermione's arm. As he was reaching out, he gasped at the site of his arm, which was covered in bruises and small cuts. He pulled his arm back quickly in horror. "My god, where are we?"_

_  
"You don't remember?" She asked, disbelief lacing her voice. _

"_I'm sorry, I don't have any idea what is going on." _

_There was silence as Hermione straightened slightly and he could see her peering at him in the darkness. "How can you not remember? You were taken by Voldemort one week ago. I think we're in some kind of keep." _

_Harry thought long and hard and tried to clear the muddiness from his brain. As he sat there, he felt a tendril of a thought or a memory trying to pierce the thickness in his head. Suddenly, he sat rigid, grimacing at the pain in his body. _

"_This is wrong...this isn't supposed to happen. Oh god, no." Harry whispered harshly. _

_  
"What's wrong? What are you talking about?" Hermione cried in a shaky voice. _

"_I don't know..but this is wrong...something isn't right" _

_A slight laugh emanated from Hermione's direction. "Um, yes, we've been captured by Voldemort, that's definitely not right, by any means." _

_Harry sat there in panic. He couldn't place what was wrong exactly as his thought processes were still catching up to him, but as he attempted to respond to Hermione, a sudden bright light pierced the darkness. Harry looked at the light source and Hermione and him gasped at the same time. There, in the light of an open door, stood Dumbledore, a fierce glare on his face, filled with a harsh and unforgiving hatred. _

"_Dumbledore?" Harry hopefully asked the figure in the doorway. _

_A harsh laugh came out of this man's mouth and he looked down towards the two teenagers and simply said "Harry, I see you have awoken." At Harry's obvious confusion, he laughed and shouted "Crucio." Harry felt the curse's pain and as he looked up at his former mentor's face, he tried to put everything together quickly, but he blacked out at the site of his former mentor laughing cruelly._

Harry awoke with a start, choking in a breath and covered in a cold sweat. He looked around his room with a wide stare and tried to figure out what that dream meant. Was it another nightmare, sent by Voldemort? As Harry felt the adrenaline leave his body, he suddenly felt like he was on fire and as he looked down at himself, he saw that his body was covered in bruises and cuts, just like in his dream.

Harry got off the bed quickly and ran over to his desk, hobbling with pain, quickly penning a note to Hermione asking if she was alright. He tied it to his owl and sent Hedwig out the window, praying that his friend was okay and that maybe he was still trapped in that nightmare.


	3. Where there is enmity

A/N: Thank you guys for reviewing my story already. It makes me happy to know that people are reading it. Don't worry, it'll all become clear what's going on in the next few chapters (I do have an outline up to the end of the story as it's been a storyline that has been in my head for a few years now.). Onward we go...

"_Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it, and, like the flash of lightning, at once exists and expires." Charles Caleb Colton _

**Chapter 3: Where there is enmity**

After Harry sent Hedwig, he paced back and forth in front of his window, deep in thought. Why was it that he had these injuries in real life? It didn't make any sense and then he thought of Hermione. Not that he could see if she was injured in the dream, but what if she had been injured? Was she inflicted with the same injuries she had in the dream? If so, what the hell was going on? He looked out the window one more time before flopping heavily on his rumpled bed. He realized that he was shaking and quickly wrapped his arms around himself to try to still his reaction to the aftermath of the dream.

His right arm was extremely bruised and there were cuts all over it. Some of the wounds looked deep and were still bleeding. His whole body felt like it had been thrown into a fire and then someone stomped on him to put the fire out. He moved his hand tentatively to his hair and felt dried blood stuck in his hair. He must be a site right now if anyone saw him.

He suddenly realized with a start that he had to somehow get himself cleaned up and cover his wounds before his relatives saw him in the morning. He found himself in the bathroom, taking a hot shower to try and get some of the grime off of him. The pain of the water across his wounds was agonizing as it hit his skin, but he remained quiet, not wanting to awaken his relatives with any noise. It was bad enough that he had to run the shower, but figured that if anyone questioned him, he could tell them he had the flu. That would certainly keep the Dursley's away from him.

Harry finished his shower and went quietly back to his room and laid down in his bed, the shower had soothed his fried nerves slightly. After awhile, he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Harry awoke to a loud tapping noise at his window. Harry looked up and saw Hedwig at his window, carrying a note. Harry quickly jumped out of bed and quickly regretted his quick movements as his body apparently was still suffering from his earlier dream. He moved more slowly, this time, towards his window and opened the window to allow his owl to enter his room. "Good girl, Hedwig" Harry slightly ran his finger down the birds head. Hedwig fluffed her wings in response.

Harry opened the letter and read Hermione's response.

_Harry,_

_I am doing well and everything is fine here. Since you sent your letter so early in the morning, I hesitate to ask, but is there a reason why I should not be okay? _

_  
Did you get your Owl's yet? I received mine yesterday. I received ten "outstanding s" and one "exceeds expectations." I can't wait for the new school year to begin! You have to send me a reply and let me know how you did on your Owl's._

_Hope all is well with you and I will see you soon hopefully._

_Sincerely, _

_Hermione Granger_

Harry sighed in relief after reading her response and quickly folded up the note when he heard the unmistakable rumble of his Uncle stomping down the stairs. Harry quickly put on the baggy hand-me downs that he had thrown on the floor yesterday and quickly surveyed himself before exiting his room to make breakfast for the Dursley's.

After breakfast, Harry cleaned up all the dishes and as he was putting them in the fridge, he felt the presence of his Uncle behind him. He sighed and keeping his expression as neutral as possible slowly turned around.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked.

"Since you decided to disrupt my sleep last night, I have added some extra chores to your list for today. " Vernon rumbled as he threw two sheets of paper in Harry's general direction. "Make sure you complete them, boy, or else." At that last pronouncement, the Dursley's all started towards the door, much to Harry's confusion. He opened his mouth to ask them where they were going when he realized that it didn't matter. He just looked outside instead and hoped that, wherever they were going, they'd be gone a long while.

Harry sighed loudly once everyone left and took a look at the chore list left for him. He looked at the first several things and groaned, knowing that he couldn't get them all done by the day's end. He could just imagine the scene Vernon would make when he realized that not everything was done on the list. _Well, I suppose I should get started_, Harry thought to himself.

Harry walked outside and grabbed the spade angrily and knelt down on the ground next to the flower bed and began to attack the unruly weeds that had sprung up, seemingly overnight. After about 20 minutes of this, he felt the first wave of nausea hit him and alarmed, sat down in the pile of weeds he had just pulled up. His stomach roiling and his brain swirling in dizziness, he wasn't sure how to finish the tasks on the list when he could barely move his head, afraid it was going to fall off his neck. He closed his eyes when he felt a sudden lurch in his stomach and emptied the contents of his belly into the flowerbed he had just tended. "Great..just bloody wonderful" Harry muttered at the site of the partially weeded flower bed covered in his morning's breakfast. Too bad he couldn't use magic during the summer so he could banish the offending site and smell in front of him. _That rule really needs to be amended_, Harry thought irritated. Harry stood up slowly so he could go get some rags from the shed outside. As he began to walk towards the shed, Harry found himself alarmed by the overwhelming feeling that he was really really sick. It felt like he was pushing himself through a dense fog. When he was almost at the shed, he fell over and crawled the rest of the way. Finally, after much exertion, he reached the door and with a slightly triumphant feeling, opened the door and grabbed the rags.

As he turned around with the rags, he took a step and ran into a solid wall. _No, not a wall, a person._ Harry thought blearily as he stared at the chest in front of him. He wearily looked up and backed up quickly, which resulted in him falling down again. Rubbing his sore bum, he looked up incredulously at the one person he did NOT want to see during his summer, Professor Snape.

Snape looked down at him with a scowl and seeing that Harry was still not standing up, raised his eyebrows mockingly. "What, Potter, you can't even greet me after trying to knock me over?" Snape snarled snidely.

"What are you doing here?" Harry snapped back, startled and annoyed at his teacher's presence in his backyard. He fought back his nausea as he looked up at the tall man's face and saw the look of haughty hatred directed down at him. When Snape didn't seem willing to answer him, Harry pulled himself back up, using the shed wall as leverage. Not wanting to show his weakness, he leaned back on it for support and crossed his arms in front of him in a good imitation of Snape.

The two stared at each other for a moment in stony silence, before Snape finally sighed huffily and said, "What have you done to yourself this time, Potter?"

"Nothing of your concern. I am perfectly fine." Harry replied angrily, still upset by the fact that his most hated teacher was standing there in his front lawn. _Why was he here anyway? _

"Nothing is wrong?" Snape said in a snide voice, "well then I hope then that I haven't disrupted your..."cleaning" too much, considering how well you are doing." Snape paused, eyes piercing Harry's.

Harry turned his head quickly, realizing that Snape might just find out why he was standing against the shed as if his life depended on it. Harry casually began to try and walk around Snape, not showing how sick he felt. As he walked slowly back towards the flowerbed, he shockingly felt himself begin to stumble and then falling onto the ground a few feet from where he had started. Cursing himself, he threw up again on the ground in front of him. He heard a loud disgusted sigh behind him and felt a swoosh of air as a spell vanished up his mess in front of him.

"Potter, you are obviously unwell. Desist in this show of Gryffindor bravery and remain seated. I don't want to have to waste my energy anymore than I already have, on dealing with you." Snape waspishly said after regarding Harry again in that cold, calculating manner. "I repeat again, why are you ill?"

Harry thought a moment, his eyes closed as he thought about how to answer. "I ate some bad chicken last night. It must be food poisoning." Harry finally got out. He looked up at his Potions teacher, who stood there in silent regarding.

"Right. Then why is there blood on your clothing?" Snape asked.

Harry looked down at himself and cursed inwardly. His right sleeve had specks of blood showing through his gray shirt and when he looked down at his chest, he saw several large patches of red. "I fell in a thorn bush." Harry said before he could stop himself, realizing how idiotic and unbelievable that sounded, even to his own ears.

"Potter, I'm tired of your lies. Now, tell me, why are you injured? You are showing clear signs of something more than simply "food poisoning" or "falling into a bush." Snape asked, a slight tapping of his foot, showing his annoyance.

"Why do you care?" Harry asked, looking away.

"You will address me respectfully with either Professor or "sir" even while we are not in school." Snape paused, "As for caring, I do not. I simply do not wish to report the death of our world's "savior" to the headmaster while on my watch because he wouldn't answer a simple question" Snape glared at Harry.

Harry fumed inside as he didn't want to discuss his dream with anyone, least of all, Snape. He tried to quickly find a way to get around answering the question, but couldn't think of an answer. The thought of relaying his dream to Snape would be beyond humiliation. Unwillingly, he thought back to the stark fear he had felt in his dream and shuddered. Finally, he brought himself to say in a quiet voice, "I had a dream," and left it at that. Snape didn't need to know what his dream was about, did he?

"You had a dream." Snape looked at him contemplatively. "I see you have pathetically still not learned how to Occlude your mind yet." Snape paused again, "However, as much as I just love standing here and watching you bleed all over yourself, I unfortunately, promised the Headmaster that I would escort you to Grimmauld Place."

At that, Harry looked up at Snape in shock. "Sirius's house? I'm fine here." Harry asked before he could stop himself. At the thought of returning to Sirius's house, he felt a panic rise inside himself at the thought of being in that house again. "Isn't there somewhere else I can go?"

"Where you go does not concern me. I am merely supposed to bring you back to the house." Snape answered simply. "Go and get your things and we shall leave at once."

Harry went to stand back up and found that his legs were unable to support him and once again, in front of Snape, he dropped back to the ground in pain. With a frustrated sigh, Snape waved his wand and said "Accio Harry Potter's belongings."

A moment later and all of Harry's belongings landed in a gigantic heap in front of them. Snape looked at it disgustedly and muttered a low "pack" spell. All of Harry's items flew into Harry's trunk at once and re-organized themselves into a rather orderly pile. Harry actually had to admit that his greasy Potions Master did a better job of it than Tonks had priorly. As he regarded his trunk, he didn't notice Snape approach him and grab his arm until it was too late.

"Hey get off me!" Harry began to yell, only to find himself feeling like he was being squeezed through a small opening as he was side-along apparated by Snape.

As the sickening sensation of being suffocated ended, he fell to the floor in Grimmauld place.

"As you wish Potter." Snape answered Harry's earlier command and and strode into the kitchen where there appeared to be a small gathering, not looking back to see if Harry had regained his footing.

"I really really hate that git" Harry thought, clenching his jaw, as he crawled onto the couch nearby and sat there, not sure what to do with himself, but feeling like every part of his body was trying to break into a million pieces. He closed his eyes, trying to will the nausea away. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was waking up to a very loud "HARRY!!" and was tackled by his friend, Hermione.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: So..I realized that there are a billion stories with the title "hourglass" and I'm contemplating changing the title to something else. My original title for this piece was "Figurative Reality," but I thought that rather boring. If anyone is horribly against the idea of renaming this fic, let me know. I probably should have done a title search before naming this originally, but alas, I didn't, so I'm a. stuck or b. going to change it and then seem like a flibber flabber title changer/can't make up a minder. (otherwise known as flaky). Side note: No quote for this chapter. (tho, if you read the quotes, they give you clues to what's going on overall) Oh and if someone has a suggestion for a title for this chapter, let me know. I'm horrible with titles. _

**Chapter 4**

"Hermione!" Harry said tiredly, pulling himself into a sitting position. "What are you doing here?"

Hermione looked thoughtful and slightly sad for a moment before saying, "I was brought here by Tonks. I'm not entirely sure why except that she said that myself and my family were in danger."

"Danger? From what?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. She showed up at my house yesterday and told us to pack our things. She told my parents that due to unforeseen dangers in the wizarding world, that there were certain families that had to be put under protection from Voldemort." Hermione sighed and looked away briefly. "Tonks wouldn't tell me where they were taken for their protection." Hermione looked at Harry critically at that point and upon noticing his injuries exclaimed "Harry! Why are you hurt? Did those awful Dursley's do something to you?"

Harry looked around the room to see if anyone else was in it and when he concluded that they were alone, he looked at Hermione seriously and said in a low tone, "You remember how I wrote you that note? Asking if you were okay?" At Hermione's nod he continued, "It appears my dreams have taken a new form and this is the result," gesturing widely at himself. At her puzzled look, he expanded, "I dreamed, the other night, that we, you and I, were being held hostage by Voldemort. In the dream, I was injured, but I'm not entirely sure how; I'm assuming we were tortured." Harry paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to tell Hermione the next part. "The weird part of the dream, though, was that in the end, Dumbledore arrived and he was _evil_, Hermione." Harry shuddered slightly as he remembered the dark look in Dumbledore's eyes as he cast the Crucio on him.

"What do you mean? Dumbledore could never be evil, Harry." Hermione asked, a perplexed look on her face.

"I don't understand it myself. All I know is that he walked into the room where we were being held and that he cast "Crucio." I woke up at that point and I could _feel_ everything that had happened to me in the dream." Harry looked away, contemplatively.

"You should talk to Dumbledore about it. He would know what is going on and he most assuredly, is not evil. He would never cast an unforgivable on you. Besides, you really need to be looked at and have your injuries treated. Dumbledore can help." Hermione said, in a concerned voice.

Harry thought about talking to Dumbledore and couldn't help but cringe at the memory of the Dumbledore from his dreams. "I don't know Hermione." He shrugged dejectedly. He sighed and looked towards the kitchen and suddenly wondered why it was so quiet. "Hermione, where is everyone?"

"I'm not totally sure. Earlier there were a whole group of Order members here, but I was upstairs unpacking and when I came back down, they weren't here."

"We are here by ourselves?" Harry moved to stand up, wincing at the slight movement, but finally getting to his feet with his friend's support. The two friends moved towards the door to the kitchen when it suddenly burst open and Snape stood there glowering at the two of them. Hermione and Harry stopped at the site of their Professor and looked at him with slightly alarmed looks on their faces.

At the look on the two students faces, Snape moved to the side and gestured sarcastically towards the kitchen. Harry and Hermione slowly moved towards the door, all the while, Harry holding Hermione's arm for support. Harry looked curiously into the room ahead of him and as they moved past Snape, they were stopped when he suddenly spoke. "Unfortunately, I have been left in charge of you until further notice." Snape said, the look on his face expressing how much he liked the idea of spending his day with two teenage Gryffindors.

The two teenagers stood there, not moving, until Snape finally snarled, "Potter, I suggest you sit down before you fall down." At the two teenagers reluctance to move, he snapped out, "I said to sit down."

"Yes sir," the two chimed in unison and quickly moved fully into the kitchen, which was looking considerably cleaner since the last time they were at the house. Harry flopped unceremoniously onto the nearest chair and placed his arms on the table in front of him to brace himself against the wave of dizziness that had suddenly assailed him. Hermione sat down next to him and continued to look back towards the Professor, anxiety written on her face.

After a few moments, Snape moved back into the room and stood with his back against the sink, facing the two teenagers. "Why is it that you are injured, Potter? Don't give me any of that "i fell into a bush" nonsense. You mentioned that you had a dream."

Harry looked at Hermione desperately, trying to figure out how to get away from answering the teacher. At Harry's lack of response, Snape turned his dark eyes towards Hermione, "Ms. Granger, I hope that you have more sense than Potter here and realize that an answer is required."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but at Harry's warning glare, she looked down at the table in front of her. Harry felt a slight poke in his side and he looked at Hermione who mouthed, "just tell him."

Snape continued to glare at them from his perch in front of them and finally Harry said "It was a dream , sir. I woke up from the dream and I had these injuries."

"What type of dream, Potter?" Snape asked in a low tone.

"I would rather not say."

"_Sir_. I would rather not say, _sir_" Snape corrected. "However much as I would rather not hear about your pathetic health, Potter, the Headmaster told me that I have to take care of you, until he returns. I would rather not have the Headmaster arrive back to find his "golden boy" worse than when he left." Snape paused again, "What exactly did you dream about that would cause these injuries?"

Harry looked at Hermione again and finally told Snape his short description of the dream that he had told Hermione earlier, excluding the part about Dumbledore. At the end of the description, there was silence. After what felt like eons, he looked up at Snape, who had a contemplative look on his face.

"I see." Snape finally said simply and walked out of the room.

Hermione looked at Harry and shrugged in confusion. A few minutes later, Snape arrived back in the room and placed several vials in front of Harry. "Drink these." Snape said and walked back out of the room.

Harry looked at Hermione, perplexed, and studied the contents in front of him. The first vial was blue with a slightly cloudy look to it. He sniffed it and grimaced at the smell of something like rotten mushrooms. The other two were green and brown. The brown one smelled just as bad as it looked and the green one smelled slightly like mint. He wondered briefly if Snape had poisoned them, but he sighed and finally downed them all quickly, holding his nose with his right hand. He had to give the potions some credit, as the pain began to vanish almost immediately.

Hermione looked at him questioningly as he was sitting there in contemplative silence for a few minutes. "They worked." Harry said simply and then suddenly added, "I'm hungry. Have you eaten today?" Hermione shook her head and the two of them searched the cabinets until they found something edible which ended up being a leftover batch of stew that Mrs. Weasley had obviously prepared.

After the two had eaten their fill, Hermione suddenly brightened and said, "Did you get your OWL results yet?"

"Not yet. Maybe my owl got lost with my sudden departure from the Dursley's." Harry replied. "Do you think someone let them know why I am not there?" Harry asked.

"Who?" Hermione asked, "Oh, you mean the Dursley's. I'm sure that someone took care of letting them know."

"True, they probably don't care either way." Harry said in a low tone. At Hermione's concerned look, he decided to change the subject, "So, how have you been this summer?"

Hermione and Harry talked in the kitchen for many hours about her summer, with Hermione describing the many books she had picked up at Diagon Alley after the term ended. Harry inwardly smiled, glad to see that even though her family was scattered and that it had to be upsetting, she was still the same old Hermione. After awhile, the two fell into a comfortable silence and Hermione was reading a large tome titled "Arithmancy: Applications in the Wizarding World." Harry didn't feel like reading and instead sat in contemplative silence, thinking back on his dream. Suddenly, he changed his mind on the whole reading thing and asked Hermione suddenly, "Do you happen to have any books on dreams?"

Hermione perked up at the mention of Harry wanting a book and said, "Yes, I think I have the perfect one." She left the room quickly and came back in holding a book, foreboding in size, and handed it to Harry. Harry quickly flipped to the glossary, hoping to find a section that would cover something even remotely similar to his type of dream. He ran his finger down the long list until he spotted a section that was titled, "Dreams and their affects on the physical realms." He supposed that one would be a good one to look at and flipped to that section. The first part of the chapter caught his attention.

"_Dreams are an integral part of every person's mind. They help to heal the body and to restore the mind while the individual gets to take part in activities that they would never be able to experience in the real world. However, there are some dreams, extremely rare, that are able to effect the dreamer in their waking world with physical and/or severe emotional after affects . These dreams are most common in people who are highly susceptible to imagery and also to those who are feeling extremely vulnerable or exposed." _

Harry looked up briefly at the thought of himself feeling vulnerable or exposed and quailed at the thought, before admitting to himself that perhaps with Sirius's death and the stress he was feeling since Dumbledore had told him about the prophecy, that maybe he was feeling a tad bit vulnerable. Maybe this book was onto something. He looked back down at the book and continued to read,

"_These dreams can be terrifying or rewarding, depending on the dreamer. Within each person, there resides a great latent energy or power in the mind that is only able to be opened up through the subconscious mind. _

_So what are the theories regarding dreams being able to affect the physical body? The theories are vast, but virtually unstudied. The two most prominent theories are highly debated, but carry weight in certain circles. The first theory is that the mind, while asleep, is able to travel to alternate realities and dimensions. The second is that the mind is able to see that which they are unable to see in the waking world, meaning they are able to see that which is not known, but is reality." _

Harry stopped reading, with alarm, as he didn't like either of those suggestions. They would imply that the friendly and well-loved headmaster was actually a double agent or that in another reality, he was evil, which seemed entirely implausible as there was no way that Dumbledore could ever be "evil" or "dark." Harry looked down at the book again, hoping to understand more, but the book suddenly became daunting, discussing scientific theoretical discussions in depth and how the theories were researched. He quickly skimmed the rest of the chapter, and not finding anything of interest or at least, able to be understood, he pushed the book aside and sat back in the chair.

"I see that studying is still too much for you to partake of for very long, Potter." Snape jibed at Harry as he re-entered the room suddenly. Hermione jumped slightly at the sudden arrival of Snape in the room and Harry just stared passively at his Professor, not warranting the comment with a response. After a short silence, Snape continued, "As I have been left in charge of you two for the next few days until we leave for Hogwarts, I have some certain rules that you are to follow, without question." Snape glared at Harry warningly, "You will not disturb me, at any time, unless it is an emergency. You will also work on your summer assignments, until they are completed." Hermione looked like she was about to say something and Snape sighed loudly, "_If_ you have completed your assignments already, you are to read the assigned textbooks for the coming year. I will not have you two gallivanting about this house and as your Professor at Hogwarts, I expect this time to be spent on more productive endeavors. You will also feed yourselves as I do not consider myself a house elf. You will also clean up after yourselves. There will be no loud noises or disruptions." Snape looked at the two of them and waited for their nods of agreement. When he was satisfied with their responses, he turned towards Harry, "Potter, the headmaster will be in tonight and you will discuss with him your recent dream." At Harry's alarmed look, he added, "You have no choice in this matter. We don't want a "mishap" like we did at the end of last term, do we?"

Harry looked down quickly, shielding his eyes from the professor's accusing glare and muttered resignedly, "yes sir."

"Due to your sudden departure from your relatives, Potter, your OWL results were given to me. Look over them and write down everything you require." Snape handed him a large envelope and walked out of the room.

Harry opened the envelope slowly, not sure if he wanted to see his results as the contents would let him know if he had a future as an Auror. At Hermione's excited, yet impatient look at him, he nearly snickered and opened them fully. He immediately scanned down the page to his Potions result and sat down heavily at the OWL result he had received. Seeing Hermione still excitedly fluttering near him, he gestured towards the OWL results and said, "Go ahead." Hermione immediately snatched the papers off the table and looked over them, eyes glittering slightly madly. He'd never understand his friends obsession with learning, but he was glad, in some ways, as she had helped Ron and him in the prior years immensely with her quick knowledge.

"You did very well, Harry. The only classes you didn't get high results in were the ones you expected to do badly in - Astronomy, Divination, and History of Magic." Hermione looked at Harry's crestfallen expression and then looked back at the paper, "Oh, you didn't get the O needed for Potions." She sat down next to Harry, "I'm sure that you can still become an Auror, Harry. They wouldn't keep you out, of all people."

"I don't want special treatment, Hermione." Hermione looked like she was going to continue, but Harry interrupted her, "I'll just make out my list of items needed now, before Snape comes back in here. He'll be gloating about my Potions result, as it is." Harry started scratching away at the list of items he needed and looked gloomily towards the list of items needed for Potions. Maybe he could teach himself the required teachings. He added the Potions materials to his list quickly, and then found himself in front of the door to Professor Snape's temporary rooms. He lifted his hand to knock on the door when it flung open and a very angry Snape stood there.

"I certainly hope you have a good reason to disturb me after I had just clearly told you not to bother me." Snape snapped.

"Uh..I have my list ready for the school year." Harry added taken aback by the anger emanating from Snape. He hadn't been this angry a little while ago when he was giving the rules. Something must have happened to tick him off even more than usual. Harry handed the paper to the teacher and Snape reluctantly took it from him and scanned the list.

"You have the items listed for 7th Year Potions listed. I see that you and McGonagall had already had this planned out." Snape growled, crossing his arms in front of him.

Harry was vastly confused and tried not to show it, "I put them on the list so I could study it on my own time, sir. I don't know what you are talking about."

"Indeed." Snape drawled and slammed the door abruptly in Harry's face. Harry stood there for a moment before the door opened and Snape snapped, "I'm sure you have plenty of other things to do besides stand outside my door with your mouth gaping open like a fish." At Harry's continued presence, Snape closed his door again with a simple, "Go away."

If Harry hadn't been so confused, he would have laughed at the murderous look on his professor's face. Obviously, he had done something to piss off Snape more than normal. Harry shook his head and walked back downstairs to where Hermione was sitting, still reading her textbooks and scratching notes. He sat down and noticed that another letter was sitting on table in front of him, bearing the Hogwarts seal. Curious he reached towards it and turned to Hermione, "When did this arrive?"

"Snape came in and placed, or more like, threw it there right after you left the room."

Harry wondered briefly how Snape had managed to slip by him without being seen by Harry and then be back in his rooms before Harry had arrived, but figured that it was inconsequential. He opened the letter and after reading the small neat handwriting, realized why Snape had been so angry.

McGonagall had written to tell him that he could attend Snape's 7th year potions class without the required grade as she had come to an agreement with Professor Snape. She also wrote that she expected Harry to work twice as hard on his potions assignments and that he had better not disappoint her.

"It appears that I'm going to be taking 7th Year potions after all." Harry told Hermione and explained the letter and how Snape had assumed that Harry knew about it.

"That's wonderful! Now you can become an auror." exclaimed his friend.

"Yeh, that's great." Harry mumbled thinking of the coming year and the treatment he was sure to receive from Professor Snape, considering his reaction moments before when Harry had dropped off his list. He dropped off in thought about the coming year, when there was a sudden "poof" noise and the items from his list appeared in front of him, as well as a barely legible note from Professor Snape on top of it.

"Here are the items you require for your classes this year. I have also added to your list additional readings that I expect to be completed before the school year begins. I expect a foot long essay at the end of each day explaining, in detail, what you have learned." Harry looked at the pile and pulled out three extremely large books on Potions that weren't part of the required texts for the coming year. "He's trying to kill me." Harry muttered angrily, realizing that he would have to spend the good portion of the coming week trying to muddle his way through the added books. Hermione looked at the books Snape had given him and gave him an encouraging smile, "I'll help you Harry. This is an awful lot of reading."

"You will NOT help him, Ms. Granger. If I sense that you are helping him, in any way, I will deduct 100 points from Gryffindor at the start of term for cheating." Snape suddenly snarled as he re-entered the room. Harry was getting quite tired of Snape appearing in the room randomly. Why couldn't he just stay in his rooms?

"That's not fair!" Harry stood up abruptly before he realized what he was doing.

"As I'm sure you have realized, Potter, nothing in life is fair." Snape glared and then gestured, "I would suggest starting on your studies as you have a lot of reading left to do."

_A/N: I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but alas, it'll have to do. I'm also hoping that I'll post a new chapter at minimum once a week. This one took me awhile because of all the dialog, which I consider my weakest area in regards to writing. I appreciate the feedback and thank you for reading. _


	5. Mens Oculus

Chapter 5: Mens Oculus

_Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. -_Gloria Steinem

Snape, once again, exited the room as dramatically as he had entered, after glaring at Harry until Harry looked away.

Harry started muttering rather loudly,"That greasy good for nothing, pain in the..."

Hermione interrupted Harry's rant, "He is probably listening to us. Let's just go along with it." Hermione looked slightly amused as she said this and Harry had no clue what she was thinking, but wasn't in the mood to ask. Besides, if he knew Hermione, she would share it if he asked or not.

As if on cue, Hermione slightly giggled and shook her head, "You have to admit that it's kind of funny how he keeps popping up in here and that he has to watch _us_ of all people on his summer vacation."

Harry stared at Hermione before slowly shaking his head, "Only you would find that funny," and Harry smiled, despite himself.

Many hours later, the door to Grimmauld place opened and a small flow of wizards walked inside, shaking off their coats from the rain that was falling outside. Harry and Hermione looked at each other excitedly, as they realized that the Order was meeting tonight. Hermione quickly picked up the books that they had been looking through and piled them into a neat stack on the table in front of her.

"Harry, m'boy! How are you?" Dumbledore was the first one to arrive in the room and he looked at Harry with his usual high level of happiness that only Dumbledore could project..

"Hello, Professor. I'm okay, sir." Harry replied quietly, remembering suddenly the commotion he had caused in the Headmaster's office the prior year. He felt bad for destroying so many of Dumbledore's possessions. He still didn't fully know what had got into him, but he knew that he had no excuse for his actions of the prior year. Besides last years catastrophe, he also was painfully aware of the fact that somewhere in his mind, he was repulsed by the dream he had about the headmaster and couldn't help but inwardly cringe at the memory.

"If you two would please exit the room as the Order is meeting tonight, I would be most grateful." Dumbledore kindly asked the two teenagers.

"Can't we stay, sir?" Harry asked quickly, knowing the answer, but hoping that perhaps this time it would be different, what with him knowing about the prophecy and all.

"I'm sorry Harry. I know how much you want to be involved, but there are some things you are not to be involved in, at this juncture in time." Dumbledore looked at Harry with implied meaning about the "in time" aspect. "I would also like to speak to you tonight, later on, as I believe, you have something you wanted to ask me about."

Harry looked at the Headmaster and shook his head in confirmation. With a final longing glance towards the front hallway, where he could see Lupin, Tonks, and McGonagal all standing, walked up the stairs with Hermione following slowly behind.

Once they had gained the sanctuary of the room Harry was staying in, Harry abruptly turned towards Hermione and said, "Do you think he wants to talk to me about the dream?"

"Most likely. Professor Snape probably let him know about it." Hermione replied.

"Great..just what I need. Hopefully he doesn't think that Snape and I should restart Occlumency lessons, as we know how well those turned out."

"If you had just applied yourself...," Hermione began before Harry interrupted her.

"I know, I know. I don't want to hear it. Besides, Snape teaching me was a VERY bad idea and you know it." Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something else, but instead just shook her head and looked away.

When she spoke again, it was in a shy, rather soft voice, "Harry, do you think I'll ever see my parents again? Do you really think Voldemort is going to go after them?"

Harry went over and sat down beside her on the bed and sighed before answering, "I don't know Hermione. I don't honestly know." He put his arm on her shoulder and realized, slightly alarmed that she was crying. He awkwardly put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. "Herm, somehow, this...everything will work out in some way. I can't guarantee your parents will be okay, but the Order will do everything in its power to keep them safe."

They sat together, both silently contemplating the future, before Hermione, with a last sniffle got up and walked towards the door, "Thank you," she said and smiled sadly at him. "I'm going to go take a nap for awhile. Wake me up later, if you could." At Harry's nod, Hermione left the room, still looking depressed.

Harry remained where he was, suddenly realizing just how important it was for him to get the prophecy fulfilled. He couldn't let his friends suffer- not like this. He hadn't told anyone of the prophecy yet and was loathe to do it. It wasn't because he didn't think his friends would understand, but he didn't want the weight of his burden placed on their shoulders as well. If he told Hermione about it, she would probably feel that it was her place as a friend to help him out and he didn't want her to have to risk her life as he had to his own. Buried in his thoughts he didn't hear the opening of his door when Professor Snape opened it.

"Potter, the Headmaster would like to speak to you now." Snape said impatiently. Harry looked quickly up at his professor and looked away, not wanting his professor to see the vulnerability and the reality of his life's mission in his eyes. . However, he had a feeling that the professor saw something anyway, as Snape's eyes narrowed slightly.

Harry followed the dark robes of his potions professor as they made their way slowly down the stairs towards the kitchen, where he could see Dumbledore sitting with a cup of tea. The other Order members must have left already and he felt slightly offended that none of them had said hello to him. As they entered the room, Dumbledore gestured towards the other two chairs nearby him. Snape looked askance at them and opted to stand in the corner even after the Headmaster's slightly raised his eyebrow at him. Harry sat down in the chair farthest from Dumbledore as he could, but where he could still see Snape in his side view.

Dumbledore regarded Harry with a steady gaze and after Harry began fidgeting, he began, "Harry, I understand that you had a dream the other night where you were injured in real life. Would you please tell me, in your own words, what this dream was about?"

Harry looked quickly up from the table and back down again. He sighed internally, wishing that he didn't have to talk to Dumbledore about it, but knowing that he really had no choice. He began telling the Headmaster the story, from the beginning, and hesitated at the end before he finally said, with a slightly offended tone, "In the end, Professor, it was you who opened the dungeon doors and cast the final "Crucio" that woke me up."

Dumbledore regarded Harry for a moment before suddenly saying, "Harry, have you ever heard of a "Choco-Taco?," Harry looked at Dumbledore incredulously. From behind him, he heard a muffled sigh grumble of annoyance from Professor Snape.

"Erm...yeah" Harry finally managed to get out.

"Headmaster, I do not mean to intrude, but what does a...Choco taco, as you have called it, have to do with anything?" Snape asked, moving towards the desk.

"Choco Tacos are a wondrous thing. You both should really try one." Dumbledore frustratingly replied. "Dobby, would you please go get three Choco Tacos for our friends here"

"Certainly, Headmaster, anything for Harry Potter." Dobby squeaked and popped out of the room. Harry was surprised at the sudden appearance of Dobby as he hadn't noticed his presence before in the house.

At Harry's questioning glance, Dumbledore answered "Kreacher has been sent elsewhere due to the events of last year. Dobby volunteered to come here as soon as he heard that you were residing temporarily at the house." He looked steadily up at Professor Snape, "Professor Snape, would you please have a seat?"

Professor Snape hesitated slightly before begrudgingly sitting in a chair far away from Harry and for that Harry was quite happy.

Dobby popped back into the room shortly and deposited three strange looking three tan colored fan shaped objects on a plate in front of them.

The Headmaster, oblivious to the Harry's and Snape's looks, picked one up and began to eat it. They continued to stare at Dumbledore with shared looks of confusion as he devoured the strange concoction in front of them.

Dumbledore finally looked at the two of them, an amused glint in his eye, and pushed the plate towards them. Harry tentatively picked on up and took a small bite off the end. Snape, for his part, looked absolutely revolted at the two of them and turned to the side so he didn't have to see them eat it.

"Severus, they really are good." At Dumbledore's continued imploring, Snape finally reached over and picked one up, with a look of great consternation. He stared at it with an incredulous look as he appeared torn between eating it or throwing it at the Headmaster. After some internal battle, he decided to hold it and not eat it.

Harry held back a snicker as he watched his professor struggle with the idea of eating the ice cream filled taco. He finally looked at Dumbledore who looked quite pleased with himself.

"Err...Professor, so, what about my dream?" Harry finally asked, still holding back his laughter as he saw, from the corner of his eye, Snape struggling with the quickly melting ice cream.

"See, Harry, life is like this Choco Taco." At Harry's confused look, he continued, "It looks solid, at first glance, but give it a few moments, and it quickly dissolves into a sticky mess." Harry listened to his Headmaster with a sinking feeling as he realized that Dumbledore wasn't going to answer his question.

Dumbledore smiled and raised his hand, "I can see that this metaphor is not working, so let me put it this way..." A moment passed by as Harry and Dumbledore watched Snape continue to struggle with the mess he had created. The ice cream, fully oozing out of the chocolate topping, was running down Snape's hand and Snape, still not wanting to eat the thing, put it on the plate in front of him in disgust and then regarded his hands with even more dislike as they were covered in vanilla ice cream and chocolate. He realized that the two of them were staring at him and he looked up with a look of severe annoyance. He looked to say something scathing, but instead cast a light 'scourgify' and the mess cleared away.

Dumbledore continued,"Life, like dreams, is made up of many components, some sticky and messy, as our dear professor has learned, and some very sweet moments. What matters is whether we partake in the whole of the life experience or ignore it altogether."

"I still don't see where this is going." Harry puzzled out loud, completely confused.

"Your dream, like life, is something in which you can either partake in or ignore. You chose to partake in the dream, therefore creating the 'mess' in which you had to deal with after you awoke." Dumbledore leaned back, obviously proud of his speech, while Snape and Harry looked at him in part annoyance and part bafflement.

"Professor, with all due respect, this isn't answering the question at hand. Why did this dream create the real life damage?" Harry finally asked, wanting to get around Dumbledore's metaphors.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers beneath his chin and regarded Harry very seriously, "Harry, I believe that you tapped into a different side of your dream psyche. This created an aftershock in the real world. I have done some studying today to look up the possible cause of your dream. I know that you are worried that you are dreaming the future, but I would not fear that as I don't believe that is true." Dumbledore waved his hand in the air and a small pile of papers appeared on the desk in front of him. He straightened his glasses and looked over them quickly. "I believe what we are dealing with is an alternate dimension that you were able to view, subconsciously. Of course, I could be entirely wrong on this matter."

"I still don't understand," Harry said, feeling more upset by the moment.

"No surprise there," Snape muttered under his breath. Harry shot him a glare and looked back at Dumbledore.

"I'm not entirely sure how you were able to dream of this other dimension, but somehow, we have to come to the root cause of it in order to prevent it from happening again. Usually, these cases are extremely rare and the cause is something cataclysmic that triggers these events."

"Can you be sure, Albus?" Professor Snape asked slowly.

"No, one can never be sure of anything." Dumbledore replied lightly, "However, we are going to go with this avenue of thought for now. What I need from you two" He looked at Snape and Harry in turn, "is for you to work together" At Snape's and Harry's looks, Dumbledore raised his hands to dispel any verbal protest, "is for you to work together. I know I said that you two trying to work together to teach Harry Occlumency was a bad idea, I need you to work together in a slightly similar study, but not Occlumency."

Snape suddenly looked very alert, "Albus, that hasn't been done in centuries."

"I realize that, Severus, but I think it is highly important that we teach Harry "Mens Oculus," immediately."

"Sir, you do realize that this is a very difficult skill to master? I sincerely doubt that Potter here, will even begin to understand the workings of this complex method of controlling the inner mind, as he failed to grasp even the rudimentary concepts of Occlumency." Snape replied, raising his voice and running his hand through his hair showing his inner frustration.

"I am aware of how difficult it is, Severus, but I think that if given the _proper_ instruction, Harry will be able to handle it. As there are relatively few people trained in this ancient magic, there are very few people who can teach Harry."

"Albus, you are one of them and you were able to teach me. Why can't you teach the boy?" Snape bluntly asked.

"I am able to teach him, but as there are other matters at the moment that need to be taken care of, I'm going to need you to begin the studies with him and I will assist along the way." Snape looked ready to argue until Dumbledore stood up, "Professor Snape, I expect you to abide by my wishes in this matter."

Snape nodded curtly, glaring at Harry.

"Harry, what your Professor and I are going to teach you is not easy. You must be able to give your undivided attention to what we will say and do. Do you understand me?" Dumbledore asked Harry, looking him in the eyes.

Harry didn't know what was going on, but managed to get out, "yes sir."

"Very good, I believe I have some of the initial books you'll need to read, right here." A sudden popping noise announced the arrival of three books that were obviously quite old.

Harry groaned inwardly as he realized that he had to read these books _and _study what Snape gave him for his potions class. This promised to be a very long week before left for Hogwarts.

Dumbledore excused himself from the room and Snape and Harry faced each other. Snape was glaring, nostrils slightly flaring as he spat out, "Potter, I will meet you, each evening at 10 o'clock in your rooms, where we will commence with this study. You will not be late. Begin reading those books now."

_A/N: That last section took me forever to write as I had to word it just so...so that I don't give the whole story away. Please review, if you are able to, as I would like to hear your thoughts. Thank you to those who have reviewed already. You're kind words have helped me immensely. _


	6. Passage

Chapter 6: Passage

"Why are we doing it at 10pm?" Harry asked rather loudly, not liking the thought of Snape being in his bedroom.

Snape looked at Harry like he was an idiot and replied, "Read the books, Potter," and walked out of the room, leaving Harry sitting there thinking of the horrific things that Snape could throw at him that evening. _Would this be Occlumency all over again? _Harry inwardly cringed at the idea of Snape poking around in his memories again. Harry sighed heavily and looked at the pile of books that Dumbledore had left him. "Well, I guess there is nothing else to it," he muttered quietly and picked up the first book and stared at the cover dimly. It was called, "Dreams and their Meanings," and when Harry opened up the book he was faced with the gruesome picture of a tiger standing over a mutilated man, blood everywhere. _This looks to be bright and cheery._ Harry thought to himself.

After several hours of reading about dreams and what different images and situations meant, Harry was more than ready for a break when Hermione came in, looking tired. Harry greeted her warmly, knowing she might still be upset from their earlier conversation and he chose not to bring it up. Instead, he said, "How are you doing, Hermione?"

Hermione was silent for a moment before replying, "I"m okay. It's hard, not knowing what's going on, you know?" she said quietly.

Harry nodded to indicate that he knew what she was talking about since that was the story of his life.

Hermione straightened in her chair and looked at Harry sharply, "I can't continue to dwell, however, so I'm going to focus on school and helping you with whatever you need. " She gestured at the books Dumbledore had left.

"Dumbledore wants me to read them" Harry answered Hermione's unspoken question. "I have to do some new study with Snape and Dumbledore." Harry briefly explained to Hermione the conversation he had just been part of with the two. After he finished, he added frustratingly, "Why is it that I can't just study what everyone else our age is studying for once?" Harry looked away for a moment before he answered the question silently, _the prophecy_. Harry looked at Hermione critically, wondering if he should tell her about the prophecy. If he told her, he'd be placing a new burden on Hermione's shoulders as well as putting her at risk. However, he felt guilty over not telling his friend, who would obviously throw herself into the new discovery with all the fervor she normally gave to whatever she put her mind to. It was so unfair. Why did he have to be the one!? Why was his life chosen to endure all this sadness and horribleness? Why did it have to be his parents that had died and why did it have to be him that killed Voldemort? Harry questioned angrily in his mind until he felt Hermione's hand on his arm. He looked over at his friend and forced a smile onto his face when he realized that he had been scowling.

She squeezed his arm lightly before letting go and taking a glance at the books in front of Harry, she asked, "May I?"

Harry laughed lightly, "When have you ever asked for a book before?"

Hermione glared at him in jest and picked up the books and looked at them quickly before looking up and studying Harry slightly. She folded her arms on her chest and leaned back, "You know, Harry, that these books are an extremely advanced study of the human mind? If you need any help, please ask, okay?" She waited for Harry's nod and continued, "I'll go through these books here while you do your potions work. That should help you short-term until you are done Professor Snape's summer work he's given you. I'll put together a study guide for Dumbledore's assignment for you."

Harry was surprised at his friend's offer for help as it was so unlike her to do his work for him, well besides helping Ron and him with his normal coursework over the year. Hermione smiled at Harry knowingly and said, "This is only temporary. I fully expect you to be able to do this on your own once school starts and you are caught up."

Harry smiled gratefully, "Thanks Hermione. Don't forget I have my first meeting," Harry grimaced at the thought, "with Snape tonight." Hermione smiled supportively at him and he smiled back and shook his head, "Who would have thought I'd be stuck with Snape again after last year and my Occlumency lessons?" Harry stood up, "I'll be back; I'm going to go get those books for potions class." Hermione barely acknowledged him as he started to leave the room due to her already being buried in the texts. He looked at her one last time before he left the room to make sure she was okay. He didn't really know what to do with Hermione being upset. She must be really lonely sometimes, having Ron and Harry as her best friends. She didn't really have anyone to confide in, except maybe Ginny. Right now, tho, with her studying, she seemed to be doing alright. Harry's thoughts were interrupted when he heard voices coming from a room nearby. Harry looked up and down the hallway to see if anyone was around before he crept up the door and listened.

He almost stepped back when he heard the low, deep voice of Professor Snape, "Headmaster, you can't really think that this is what you think it is, do you? If it is, how do you propose to fix it?" Snape was obviously agitated as Harry could hear the rustling sweep of his robes moving back and forth quickly in the room, indicating that Snape was pacing.

"Severus, I can't be 100 sure, but I would rather proceed with caution and prevent the aftermath that would occur if left unattended. How to fix it?" Dumbledore paused, "We have to find the source, however difficult that might be."

Were they talking about me? Harry thought. What source?

"Albus, it could be anything and frankly, I don't much fancy the idea of having to deal with Potter for endless hours until we can figure out what the cause for this is in the end. Did you forget your promise, Headmaster? You promised that I wouldn't have to work with Potter again after last year." Snape sounded frazzled by the end.

"I promised not to make you teach Occlumency to Harry again." Albus responded and Harry could hear the slightly amused tone in the old man's voice.

"It's entirely possible that this was just a one-time incident and we're wasting our time and energy that could be spent elsewhere." Snape responded, voice slightly pleading.

"Severus, this is not up for debate. We will find out what's going on one way or another. At this juncture, I must bid you my goodbyes for the evening." Harry could hear the creaking of the floor, indicating Dumbledore was standing up. "Be cautious Severus," the Headmaster said quietly and seriously.

Harry quickly scurried to his room before he was caught eavesdropping and grabbed his potions textbooks. He hurried back down the stairs, sure that Hermione was wondering what had taken Harry so long.

Harry sat down near Hermione at the table and placed his books in front of him. At her questioning look, he leaned over and very quietly told her the conversation that he had heard between Snape and Dumbledore.

Hermione was silently contemplative and tapping her quill on her chin, she flipped to a section of the book in front of her. Looking rather pleased, she pointed at a section of the book, "Here, read that part."

Harry looked down at where Hermione was pointing and read over it quickly and stared at Hermione in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand"

"Harry," Hermione impatiently said, "You need to absorb what you are reading and not just skim." She glared at Harry good naturedly and continued, "What this section is saying is that sometimes in a person's life, there are major events that can cause an "Hourglass Effect," a phenomenon not too common. It also says that it can be created with intention."

Harry stared at Harry, eyebrows drawn together, "What can cause this?" Harry asked rather baffled.

Hermione leaned over and looking very excited, repeated, "The Hourglass Effect Harry. It's what it's called. This is what I believe Dumbledore and Snape were referring to in their conversation. Basically this is when time begins to shrink and expand at the same time in different directions."

Harry looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language made up of gibberish. "So...time is messed up?" Harry shot out in the vain hope that he had some sense of what she was talking about.

Hermione snickered slightly and shook her head slightly, "Yes, I suppose that is a short way of defining it. Time is messed up, yes." She sobered suddenly and leaned closer to Harry, "However, this is a very serious thing if what they believe is true. It can have far-reaching complications and results."

"Can it be stopped?" Harry asked.

"I have to do some more reading, but from what little I've read so far, it appears as if no one really knows." Hermione's face suddenly became very closed, "Work on your potions books, Harry. I'll look more into this and I'll help you get prepared for tonight." Hermione smiled briefly at him before returning to the books in front of her.

It was 950pm and Harry couldn't help but think that this was some sick joke that Dumbledore was playing on Snape and himself. To think, his horrible professor was going to be in his room in a few moments and Harry was supposed to just accept it. _Right_, Harry thought dryly, _like that will ever happen. _

Harry changed quickly into the dingy baggy nightclothes that he had inherited from his fat cousin, Dudley, glad for once that he could hide amidst the billowing fabric. It wasn't that he was shy, but he certainly didn't like the idea of having Snape with him while he slept. The layers of clothing felt like a shield. In fact, he felt rather petrified at this entire situation. _What was Dumbledore thinking? Snape could curse him while he slept and he'd never know or be able to prevent it. _Hermione's constant reminder of "Dumbledore trusts Snape," played in Harry's mind for a moment, but it certainly didn't help him feel better. He sighed exasperatedly and sat on the musty chair in the corner of his bedroom and crossed his arms protectively around his torso, feeling the seconds pass by alarmingly fast. He glared at the clock on the wall in front of him, daring it to continue its incessant ticking.

A loud rapping on the door told Harry that his will to stop the clock hadn't worked. Maybe if he didn't acknowledge the knocking, Snape would go away, Harry thought irrationally. Harry slapped himself mentally for being ridiculous. _For crying out loud, stop being a sissy._ _You've faced death eaters, dementors, a giant basilisk and you are afraid of one hook-nosed greasy git of a teacher? _He forced himself to stand, still hugging himself protectively and walked to the door, opening it just as Snape was raising his arm to knock again.

With a raised eyebrow, Snape said sarcastically, "I should have known your manners included not greeting your guests appropriately."

Harry just glared at Snape, biting his tongue to avoid starting a fight. Snape smiled somewhat menacingly, as if he knew that Harry had been cowering.

Harry stepped aside to allow Snape entry into the room. Harry watched as his professor entered slowly and took a serious look at his surroundings. Snape pulled out his wand and walked slowly around the room, casting lowly muttered spells around it. Harry felt his tension increasing as he waited for the professor to finish whatever it was he was doing to Harry's room.

"Why are you wearing such baggy clothing?" Harry jerked slightly at the sudden question from Snape. I'm sure that there you have more appropriate clothing in here."

"These are my clothes," Harry answered and watched Snape narrow his eyes as he studied him.

Snape obviously decided to drop the subject of clothing and leaned against a bookcase that was in the corner of the room. They stood in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Snape straightened and said, "What we are about to begin is a rather complicated procedure and will require preporation on your end, as well as mine. This is no easy feat and considering your past failures, I'm sure it will be rather difficult. However, we have to begin tonight and I expect full obedience from you. If I ask you to do something, you will do it without questioning me. Do you understand?"

He shook his head shakily to indicate his acknowledgment.

"I'm sure Ms. Granger had apprised you of what you need to know before we start tonight. However, as I don't wish to be tormented by floundering efforts from you, I will hopefully re-iterate some of the things she should have informed you about before our "lesson." Snape said, his tone implying what he thought about Harry's mental capacities.

Snape began to lecture Harry in his normal teaching tone, "Once you have fallen into REM sleep, I will enter your dreams with you. The goal is to lead the participant, in this case you, into realizing the dream isn't real and to pull you out of your dream self. It might require a few tries, but often the dreamer will be successful the first few times, and then find it more difficult as time passes. Your thoughts will be mingling with the thoughts of the dream self and this will be overwhelming, but you need to use your concentration to pull your mind away from the dream self. My purpose, in part, is to guide you into viewing the dream objectively as well as to protect you from yourself" Snape looked at Harry hard, "Prone as you are to acting the hero role, you are not to allow yourself that option"

Harry nodded and Snape gestured towards Harry's messy bed. "You have to lay down now and try to relax."

Harry moved stiffly towards his bed and once in it, he pulled the covers tightly around him, shivering from the fear he felt. He had never been this close to Snape before and it was rather terrifying. He realized he probably looked incredibly silly, but he didn't care.

"I said to relax." Snape snarled.

"Snapping at me isn't really going to help, sir." Harry said before he could stop himself.

Snape stared at him with a look Harry couldn't decipher and after a moment, Snape summoned a chair from the corner of the room and sat in it.

"Breathe Potter," Snape said in a slight tone of annoyance, but Harry took his advice, trying to calm his nerves. He knew that this was important and he was determined to show Dumbledore that he was capable of acting in a mature manner and succeeding in this mission.

"Yes, sir." Harry said quietly.

Snape looked at Harry suddenly, eyes penetrating his and harry noted the slight apprehension in Snape's eyes that was quickly shielded. "I have to make a connection now.. This can be alarming, but you need to remain calm. Once you've fallen asleep, I will know when you have entered REM asleep and at that point, I'll re-iterate, you need to listen to your surroundings. As you have to be able to decipher my presence. In order to do this, you need to find some catchphrase or keyword that will "pull" you out of your Dream Self relating to the person who is guiding you, in this situation, me."

Harry thought quickly about what phrase would help him connect with Snape and the first image in his head was of Neville's boggart. However, he didn't know if Snape would be able to view the image or know what it is and he didn't think that Snape would appreciate seeing that picture. He discarded that one and decided he would pick a simmering cauldron as potions, in Harry's mind, was intrinsically connected to Snape. "I have one sir."

Snape considered Harry for a moment before speaking again, "Are you ready?"

Harry shook his head and closed his eyes, putting aside thoughts of being cursed, readying himself the coming madness. "I'm ready Professor."

With that final sentence, they looked at each other with serious and wary expressions and at Snape's nod, Harry closed his eyes.

_A/N: Iungo animus -Connect Soul_

_I apologize for the slight delay in posting. I was away in another state for a week and then when I finally came home, it was my b-day. The good news is that while I was on my rather uneventful vacation, I wrote out, by hand, few chapters. I never realized how utterly atrocious my handwriting is until I have to translate it into something typewritten. :) _

_This chapter was originally only around 1k words long, but it looked too short, so I pulled some of the stuff from chapter 7 to make it a tad longer. I figure that giving a short chapter after a two week delay would be kind of rude. I should be back to my normal posting schedule now._

_Anyways, thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favoritized/author alerted my story, it really means a lot. _


	7. Illusion of Self

A/N: _I decided to rewrite what I had written after the last part, which means this chapter is a little shorter than normal as I am re-writing the sections after this that I didn't like after re-reading it. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up soon, as the basics are still written down on paper. I just have to redo a few things and walah...should have the next chapter. This chapter is just a small bridge...It's my least favorite chapter so far, but..ahh wells..bear with me. Thanks to everyone again who is reading this story.  
_

**Chapter 7: Illusion of Self**

He knew what was supposed to happen, but he still had a hard time not flinching when he felt the cool touch of Snape's hand on his forehead. He held himself still and tried not to show any sign of his discomfort as he felt the light pressure of Snape's other hand on his chest, above his heart.

Harry focused his thoughts on Snape's deep voice as his professor lowly spoke the incantation, "Iungo animus" Harry opened his eyes briefly at the first surge of energy surged between the two. During this brief look, he saw that Snape's face was intensely focused and with Snape's eyes closed, Harry could see the strain that Snape was under while performing the complicated spell. Beads of perspiration were on his forehead and he had deep crinkles around his closed eyes.

Once he had closed his eyes again, he felt a the strange surge of energy and warmth flow and increase through his mind and his body as Snape repeated the spell. He soon felt a great tiredness fall over him and hearing the dark voice of his professor he fell asleep with images of cauldron's and fire in his mind.

(O)(O)

Harry opened his eyes groggily and found that he was laying on the grounds of a forest and looking up at the night sky through the trees above him, he got the familiar knowledge that he was in the Forbidden Forest. He shuddered slightly at the thought of being in these particular woods at night and went to push himself up from the ground, feeling the sharp branches poking him in the back. He was seemingly alone and sat up fully, trying to gain his bearings. _How did I get here?_ Harry thought suddenly. _I was at Grimmauld's place, no wait..I was at Hogwarts._ Harry thought confusedly. He shook his head to clear it of his muddied thoughts, which seemed to be taking longer than normal to grasp.

"Master, I see you have awoken," a small voice said nearby. Harry quickly looked over and saw a small snake, a garden snake if he remembered correctly, slithering in the twigs nearby.

He stared at the snake in confusion and didn't respond, instead choosing to wait for the snake to continue.

"You asked me to report to you when the plan succeeded."

Harry quickly scanned his memory to recall what the snake was referring to and after a very difficult time, found a slight glimmer of a memory of him speaking in front of a crowd.

Harry decided to respond, "Thank you for your report. What were the results?"

"The plan you devised has brought the Dark ones out of hiding. They are currently nesting near the castle, on the other side of the lake."

Harry thought carefully before he said anything, not completely sure what was going on, but finding himself slowly catching up to what was going on around him. "What about the castle inhabitants?"

"They are safely inside, barricaded," the snake said curling up nearby.

Harry stood up cautiously, not trusting his balance, which was a good thing for his head spun horribly as he reached a standing position. Finally reaching a standing position, he leaned back against a tree for support. Harry nodded towards the snake, "you may go now, if you desire."

The snake unfurled itself and if a snake could nod, it did, raising its head up and down several times. "Thank you master, you know where to find me" and slid away into the dark underbrush nearby.

"_Potter"_

Harry turned his head quickly, hearing the quiet whisper of a voice nearby and raised his wand to illuminate his surroundings. There was no one nearby and he wondered if it was his imagination, when he heard the soft whisper again of "_Potter, the phrase."_ The strange whispery sounded annoyed, and Harry shook his head, deciding that the darkness was playing tricks on him and began to walk towards the castle, keeping his wand out, just in case.

Harry walked slowly and carefully, trying not to step on the large branches around him. He knew it was dangerous in these woods, but he had reached an agreement with the Centaurs before tonight that they would allow him safe passage. They were not agreeable at first, as they did not deal with human affairs, as they constantly reminded him. However, after promising them freedom from some of the "mandates' that the wizarding world had imposed on them, they had reached a consensus after a few weeks that they would allow this one-time trespass on their territory.

He reached the edge of the forest and with a grim look of determination, stared out at Hogwarts grounds, trying to pick up on the shadows or signs of any life nearby. Everything seemed to be correct.

"_Damn it Potter, the phrase!"_ the strange whisper seemed louder this time and Harry quickly looked around him, feeling alarmed. This was no time to lose his mind. _What the hell phrase was this 'ghost' referring to? _Harry shook of the voice again and began to prowl the edge of the forest until he could just see the group of Death Eaters nearby. He gripped his wand harder and got ready to cast the spell that would signal the people inside when he felt a grasp on his arm.

He looked wildly at the spot on his arm and began casting de-concealment spells around him, thinking someone was obviously nearby and this was not good news if tonight's plans were to go as they were planned out for the past few months. He looked around him and the view around him began to fade into a strange mist that grew quickly and soon surrounded him so he couldn't see anything around him.

"Potter, I told you to remember the phrase. What the hell are you doing?" An angry deep voice that he recognized as Professor Snape's, said nearby. _What was he doing here?_

Harry looked to his right and saw the shadowy figure of the professor coming towards him and voiced his question out loud, "Why are you here?"

"I am here, because I'm supposed to be here. You are not." Snape spat rather harshly at Harry. "You were supposed to have a phrase and you failed, just like I assumed you would."

"I have no idea what you are talking about professor, but you are supposed to be inside the castle right now."

Snape sighed rather loudly and looking at Harry sternly said, "No, I'm not. You are dreaming Potter."

Harry narrowed his eyes and pondered Snape's strange statement. "If I were, Professor, I'm sure I would know that I am dreaming." He thought frantically as time was precious at this crucial time. "Now, if you'll excuse me, you need to remove this fog and let me do what I have to do."

"Potter, you. Are. Dreaming." Snape said caustically. Suddenly, Harry felt himself being pulled and with a sudden whoosh, he felt the world around him go black.

The darkness left and he found himself laying in bed. He looked around confused and saw Snape sitting near in a very angry mood. He tried to remember what had transpired and widened his eyes when he realized what had transpired.

"Why didn't you remember the phrase?" Snape asked frustrated.

Harry realized his mistake and raised his hands to cover his face, somewhat embarrassed at his error. "I remembered an image, not a phrase, professor."

Snape looked at him like he was foreign and suddenly looked very tired, "Why an image when I specifically told you a phrase?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Do you realize how much time you just wasted and what could have happened if I hadn't been able to pull you out in time?" Snape practically yelled.

Harry looked down and fiddled with the blanket on top of him. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Sorry does not even begin to cover it. I knew this was a waste of time with a brain like yours."

Harry began to feel defensive, "Hey! It's not like I asked for this? Did I?" He stormed on, "I didn't ask to be probed like a dang specimen, I didn't ask that I have to have ONE more thing about me that would make me different!"

Snape looked at Harry disgustedly, "It's hysterics like these that prove to me how immature and how this world of ours is facing impending destruction with people like you..." Snape stopped and handed Harry a vial that he recognized as Dreamless Sleep potion. "Drink this." and walked out of the room, looking angry and extremely tired.

Harry looked at the vial angrily and thought over his dream carefully. What did that dream mean? While he was dreaming it, he _knew_ what was going on around him and he _knew_ what his mission was in it. Now, however, he could only vaguely sense the dream's meaning and what this dream Harry was on a mission to do.

He yawned suddenly and realized how exhausted he felt after the day of reading he had that day. How he wished Snape wasn't the one teaching him and he hoped wistfully, that Dumbledore would be the one to do this with him next. It wasn't his fault he remembered and image and not a phrase. Okay...so maybe it was, but he still didn't need Snape insulting him. Drinking the vial he was holding, he decided that he had better get sleep now, as tomorrow promised to be a very long day.


End file.
